Indoor track team reaching new heights
Runner, Alana Justice, competes in the 2020-2021 indoor track season.
The indoor track season is rapidly approaching, and with the first meet days away, the team is in full gear getting prepared for the year.
Andrew Bennett, a junior distance runner, lives by the same mantra as head indoor track coach Kwame McFadden: putting high expectations on himself.
“My expectations for myself are to perform at an elite level and compete at states,” Bennett said.
While what may seem like lofty goals for any one individual, Bennett puts in the training and effort to accomplish whatever he sets his mind to.
“…week to week, I run [at least] 60 miles with one 13 to 14 mile run,” said Bennett.
Bennett, who also runs cross country, is used to the long distances and runs consistently throughout the year. With this constant running, Bennett is hoping for the results in order to show off this season.
Sophomore distance runner, Weslie Rosenberg, has also set very lofty goals for herself and the team this season.
“I was actually one second away from qualifying for cross country states as an individual,” Rosenberg said.
While Rosenberg just missed the cut off to qualify for states in cross country, she will keep that strong momentum going into the indoor track season.
“My personal goal for the 2021-2022 indoor track season is to break one of the girls indoor record times for Clover Hill,” Rosenberg said.
McFadden is looking forward to the 2021-2022 indoor track season. He preached about the young athletes being the players with the experience on the team.
“We have returning sophomores and returning juniors who have good varsity experience,” McFadden said.
Coach McFadden explained this by talking about the start of last year’s indoor track season.
“After the pandemic, we did not have a good turnout… so we had some freshman turnout and they jumped in and worked hard… and eventually [they] got to the point where they were able to compete,” McFadden said.
McFadden mentioned the two freshmen (now sophomores), Torie Satterwhite and Danielle Couch, that started their high school indoor track careers with All-Region accomplishments. Satterwhite claimed the achievement in the 55 meters and 400 meters, while Couch in the high jump.
McFadden discussed the new plan that he began to implement in the team’s daily training sessions at the start of the last season.
“Our training program is based on Dietrich Buckenholz’s innosport training method,” McFadden said. “This method allows for individualization of training plans that pinpoint strengths and weaknesses along the neuromuscular spectrum, [which is strength, speed, and power].”
Led by McFadden’s new implementations, Clover Hill’s team is fighting for one of the top spots in the region.
“We are confident that this goal can be achieved due to the fact that we are returning the bulk of our sprint and distance teams,” McFadden said.
The Cavaliers experience could be the key to taking the next step forward in the region.
The indoor track team’s first meet is this Saturday on Dec. 4 at Caroline High School in Milford, Va.
Ian Hooks, a senior math and science student at Clover Hill, has always been interested in sports journalism and broadcasting. In fact, this is his third...
